The effects of marketing on rowing activity in a South Yorkshire community.

Over the last thirty years more water areas have become available for use by the public; rowing has not taken advantage of these opportunities, often being marginalised in Local Authority sport schemes and rarely seeking to establish new clubs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential increase in participation levels in rowing following a marketing campaign to promote the sport. The population studied is an area around Rother Valley Country Park which currently has no participation in the sport. The main focus is on the awareness of sport in the local communities and their motivations for taking part in sport in general: this is established using surveys which are administered to young people and women.The research requires an in depth exploration of three interrelated areas; history of rowing, sports development and marketing. The history of rowing is sub-divided into development in England and then South Yorkshire, considering the origins of existing clubs and of Rother Valley Country Park. The emergence and diversity of delivery methods available for sports development are explored. Marketing theories of 'for profit' and 'non profit' organisations are used to help define a marketing model for rowing. This, combined with the surveys, enables the researcher to conclude that rowing can be successfully marketed.The main contributions of this research are firstly the development of a marketing model for rowing and secondly recommendations to the agencies involved for the successful inclusion of rowing at Rother Valley Country Park. The research also highlights the need for further investigation into the application of the proposed model both to rowing and to other sports and the need for a more fexible sports development model.